Minorities to Become the Majority in a Generation

A generation is not a long period of time from a genealogist’s point of view. However, it will make a difference in the US, where the US Census Bureau has released updated projections that show that by 2042 “Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander will together outnumber non-Hispanic whites” as reported by the New York Times.

The US Census Bureau had previously estimated the transformation would occur around 2050, but moved the date forward by several years due to the significantly higher birthrates among immigrants. As the Washington Post mentions, the census projections will inform the debate in the coming decades in the US regarding immigration, health care and education policies.